Buzbee served the county, residents admirably

Published 4:10 pm, Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Montgomery County lost a loyal employee who served residents well by protecting us from environmental and health-related threats.

Through inspections, permitting and dissemination of important and timely information, especially in times of crises, Patrick Buzbee, director of Montgomery County Environmental Health Services, helped protect us.

Buzbee died at the age of 65 Feb. 20 in a tragic traffic accident in East Montgomery County. His loss will be felt by coworkers as well as residents. However, with how well his department was run, we believe Buzbee has left a legacy that will continue to serve residents’ needs.

Montgomery County Environmental Health Services provides a well-read weekly feature in The Villager - Restaurant Reports - which details health inspections of eating establishments across the county. It provides a necessary watchdog to ensure restaurants, bars and other food providers comply with health regulations. We receive a number of comments from readers searching for safe restaurants (those that receive no demerits) to dine, as well as from restaurants regarding unflattering inspections that include multiple demerits.

But Buzbee’s office has done so much more to protect us. Employees handle permitting and oversight of disposal of waste and commercial burning of debris, ensuring that our natural water resources and land are not being polluted. They also continually inform the public of health risks, such as West Nile virus passed through mosquitos, and were the main source of information when the swine flu epidemic struck Texas and Montgomery County a couple of years ago.

The department also is responsible for identifying and demolishing dilapidated and abandoned homes and buildings that over time become rodent-infested hazards or attract drug users who leave tainted syringes and other paraphernalia that can be a threat to the community.

Much of the work of the Montgomery County Environmental Health Services department goes unnoticed by the public. One main reason is because in the more than a decade that Buzbee was director, his department and its employees were never the story - no controversies, troubled employees - only contributing vital information to residents.

Buzbee started his career as an immunization aide, coordinating mobile health units for Harris County, rising to environmental health specialist before retiring after 25 years. Fortunately for Montgomery County, he came out of retirement in 2000 to serve as director of the MCEHS.

His staff of 30 employees, with an annual budget of $1.8 million, has a large responsibility ensuring compliance and enforcement of local, state and federal health and safety codes throughout the county. But they have done it well, and that is a tribute to Buzbee’s leadership.

“Pat Buzbee was one of those rare individuals that came to work for Montgomery County with an instant rapport with not only Commissioners Court but with almost all of the Environmental Health Department,” Montgomery County Judge Alan B. Sadler stated. “Pat and I became instant friends and his leadership style with employees was nothing but straightforward, with compassion and empathy. “He was a leader, a friend and will be greatly missed.”